


Homecooked, At Last

by nyoggets



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cooking, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Felix is a tsundere, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:35:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21759190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyoggets/pseuds/nyoggets
Summary: Felix, already tired from the long fish lecture, was rather shocked to find Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, heir to the most prestigious company of the region and to its multi-billion fortune, his childhood friend and now boyfriend of three years, sitting cross-legged on their couch, idly slurping plain, shitty, unflavoured (!) instant ramen while watching a BBC documentary about fish. Of course it was fish, it was always fish.Felix is fed up with his friends' awful eating Habits and decides to take matters into his own hands.[modern college AU]
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 33
Kudos: 278





	Homecooked, At Last

**Author's Note:**

> Update: there now is [fanart](https://twitter.com/tanawwww/status/1205866410720653313?s=19) for this, please check it out its the absolute cutest and I'm beyond words ;;;
> 
> This started as just some crack-y headcanons between my friend and I and,,,, sorta went off the rails a bit.  
> A giant thank you to said friend for all the Inspiration, help and general support! [Please check out her work!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maerissa)
> 
> Also, the POV changes three times, from Felix to Ashe to Dimitri. You'll notice when it happens!  
> Enjoy!

Felix was annoyed. 

Not that that was anything special, anything to fuss over, but he was annoyed enough that it deserved to be mentioned. He knew his friends were useless a lot of times, but he didn’t expect them to be _this_ incapable of caring for themselves. 

He’d noticed it when he came home late from an evening lecture, the professor having gotten lost in illustrating the joys of fishing somewhere along the dry politics talk and thus drawing out the lesson. Felix, already tired from the long fish lecture, was rather shocked to find Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, heir to the most prestigious company of the region and to its multi-billion fortune, his childhood friend and now boyfriend of three years, sitting cross-legged on their couch, idly slurping plain, shitty, unflavoured (!) instant ramen while watching a BBC documentary about fish. Of course it was fish, it was always fish. 

The blonde's eyes lit up and tore away from the sight of a rather ugly fish eating an even uglier fish when he noticed Felix. 

"Ah, Felix, welcome ho–" he started, a noodle sticking to his chin. 

"What the fuck is _this_ , _"_ Felix spat, wildly gesturing. Dimitri just tilted his head. 

"Huh? Oh, they’re called pelican eels, they live in the deep sea. A bit creepy perhaps, but I think deep sea fish are pretty interesting…" he stated dumbly, as if the ugly fish was the issue rather than his ugly dinner. 

Fighting the urge to punch the TV with the fish, he resigned himself to just yanking the bowl of tasteless noodles out of his hands. Dimitri blinked, puzzled. Felix blinked with force, angry. 

"I’m not talking about your dumb fish, I’m talking about _this_ ," Felix said while waving the bowl around, dangerously close to spilling the still-hot noodle broth. 

Dimitri was honestly looking, Felix thought, pretty close to a dumb fish himself, not getting the issue _at all_. "My… my dinner?" he asked after some consideration, "What’s wrong with it?" 

_"_ What’s _wrong_ with it?" Felix repeated, getting increasingly irritated. "Yeah, I _wonder_ what’s _wrong_ with shitty instant ramen for dinner. You didn’t even use the flavour packet!?" 

At this point Dimitri looked almost concerned, and maybe a bit hurt. 

"It’s not like I could taste it anyways, Felix. I don’t need anything fancily cooked when it all has no taste for me. Just eating something is good enough, isn’t it?" he answered, his voice now lacking all of the carefree tone from earlier. Yep, he was definitely hurt, and Felix immediately felt bad Of course the taste didn’t matter to Dimitri, why should it? 

So, without saying another word, Felix set down the bowl with Dimitri’s now lukewarm noodles again. He took a deep breath and tried to think about his following words for once. 

"Yes, I… know that, obviously. But…", he started, averting his gaze now. 

Dimitri, apparently reassured by Felix’s softer tone, pressed further: "But?" 

"But… ugh. It’s just… just not good for you, eating this crap all the time," Felix finally managed to grind out, brows so furrowed they basically formed a single angry line. "You… mentioned you feel a bit weaker lately, right? That’s... probably because you’re eating nothing but instant noodles." 

Felix was straining to say even a single word that wasn’t laced with vile poison, but he _did_ regret being so harsh earlier. Dimitri’s lack of taste was a common cause of discontentment for him, especially when they’d go out to eat something in a group and everyone would keep gushing over how nice the food tastes. He had obviously accepted it, but that didn’t help with the slight pang of thinly veiled resigned sadness that showed in Dimitri’s lone eye in these situations. 

That, and it was difficult for Felix to allow others to see that he cared, especially since he rarely allowed even himself to see that. 

But of course Dimitri had noticed, his mouth forming a tiny O-shape as it dawned on him why Felix had gotten so seemingly irrationally angry. It _was_ true; he hadn’t been feeling too great lately. Not outright sick, but tired enough to raise his suspicions. It was also true that he’d been eating almost exclusively instant ramen since they all moved away from home into the shared flat that they'd rented in order to be closer to their college. He obviously couldn’t admit just how much this weird, awkward display of worry and care that Felix had graced him with had warmed his heart – that would just set the smaller man off again. So, he settled on just giving him a tiny smile. 

"Felix, really, it’s fine. You don’t need to worry abo-" 

"I’m not _worried_ , you stupid boar-" 

"-ut me. Really. Instant ramen is cheap too, so the money I’m saving us can be used for better things than my meals." Dimitri finished his sentence, unfazed by Felix’s flustered interruption. 

Felix’s brows somehow drew even closer together as he exhaled and pinched his nose. 

"Dimitri, your family is probably the richest in the country. So, don’t try to pull this _I_ _’m saving us money_ crap. No one in this whole damn household is in a bad enough financial situation to excuse living off cheap instant food. Hell, even _Sylvain_ is capable of more self-preservation and better eating habits than you." 

Dimitri blinked again, clearly contemplating _something_. 

"Sylvain? No, he usually just eats microwave food. He used to steal my ramen flavour packets, too. Nowadays, I just give them to him." 

Now, it was Felix’s turn to blink dumbly. 

"Is Sylvain home?" he asked, straining his voice to come across as calm. 

Dimitri simply nodded and started slurping his noodles again. Felix closed his eyes for a second, fist glued to his hip. 

He then wordlessly turned around, leaving a still mildly confused Dimitri and his slurping noises as he turned his attention back to the ugly fish. Stomping through the hallway that lead to Sylvain’s room, Felix basically punched the door open. 

Inside was indeed Sylvain, sitting in his chair, face only illuminated by the dim flickering of what Felix guessed was either some Netflix show or porn. He visibly jumped at the intrusion, a startled half-scream escaping his throat. In his lap sat, as Felix feared, shitty microwave mac 'n ' cheese, which he almost toppled as he threw up his hands defensively. And on top of it was, in fact, reddish brown powder that clearly originated from Dimitri’s ramen. 

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, will you? Ever heard of knocking? I could’ve, I don’t know, had someone over or something," the redhead exclaimed, which did exactly nothing to soften Felix’s mood. 

He stalked through Sylvain’s room, subconsciously trying to avoid stepping on any of the discarded and strewn around clothing articles, and stepped behind the sinfully expensive PC screen that was providing the only source of light in his room. It was not porn, Felix noted to himself with a hint of relief. 

He pointed accusingly at the pathetic excuse of a meal as if it had committed countless atrocious war crimes. 

"What the fuck is _that_ ," he hissed. 

"It’s mac 'n ' cheese, Felix. Never had any? You can have some of mine if you really want~", Sylvain winked, testing both his own fate and Felix’s patience. 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Felix exhaled demonstratively again, a pulsing vein blooming on his temples. 

"Why the _fuck_ does Dimit- the boar eat nothing but shitty ramen, and you apparently live off soggy warm-up food?" 

Sylvain flashed another smile, and Felix wanted to clock him with his PC. 

"Hey, hey, calm down now!" Maybe with something heavier and more destructive than the PC. "I like soggy." Yes, definitely something heavier and much more destructive. "Besides, we can’t all go out and eat expensive Korean BBQ every three days and then live off bread from the sales section like Ingrid." 

"Ingrid does _what._ " 

At this point, Felix was almost certain this was just some kind elaborate prank. Surely there was no way that not one of his friends was able to eat anything, _anything_ decent? Unfortunately for his faint hopes, Dimitri _sucked_ at jokes; he was too damn earnest. So even if Sylvain for some reason enjoyed shoveling fatty, tasteless macaroni and slimy cheese with ramen powder into his mouth just to aggravate Felix, there was no way Dimitri wasn’t telling the truth. Plus, he’d said Sylvain had been stealing the flavour packets before. And Ingrid – yeah, she wasn’t big on jokes or pranks either, and blowing her weekly allowance to indulge in fancy lavish dinners twice and then miserably munching whatever stale bread no one else wanted for the other five days definitely sounded like her. Her family, while not dirt poor, was never as wealthy as the Gautier, Fraldarius or Blaiddyd families. Years of simple meager meals would have fostered an extensive appreciation for any decadent or fancy meal, and so the five days of only eating the bare minimum probably seemed worth it for her. 

Another frown painted Felix’s features. 

He wouldn’t call himself an amazing, outstanding cook by any means, but he did possess the basic knowledge to fry some meat or vegetables, steam rice or cook _actual_ fucking noodles. 

As he weighed his options, Sylvain kept staring at him quizzically while _also_ still eating his damn macaroni. 

The sight of that, plus the far-away sound of something breaking accompanied by a soft-spoken curse coming from the living room, pissed Felix off enough that he made a rather drastic decision. 

He would cook for them. 

He’d cook for his useless friends before they accidentally died of malnutrition caused by instant ramen and moldy bread. 

As soon as that revelation struck him, he stormed out of Sylvain's room again. Much to his dismay, said redhead followed him since he finally finished the stupid mac 'n' cheese and now wanted to bring the cheese coated kitchen utensils back. 

Seeing the last of the half-dissolved shrimp flavour powder stuck to the watery cheese that coated the bowl, Felix finally had to ask about the thing that, honestly, had been bugging him the most. 

"Also, why the fuck did you steal Dimitri’s flavour packets? Don’t you feel pathetic enough as is?" 

Sylvain gave him a hearty chuckle while waving around his bowl, reeking of disappointment. 

"I _always_ feel pathetic, thank you very much. But hey, just trying to make my dinner feel a little less sad, you know? The chili flavour ones are _excellent_ with microwave schnitzel, by the way." 

Felix just acknowledged his bullshit with some kind of vaguely irritated grunt. 

Sylvain, unfortunately, was not capable of shutting up, so he pressed on: 

"Why are you so angry though, Felix? We’ve been eating like this since the start of the semester. Haven’t you noticed that practically no one’s ever in the kitchen?" 

Felix didn’t bother answering him, but he had, in fact, not noticed. Their four schedules were messy and didn’t always align – Sylvain was out fucking around most of the time, Ingrid often spent the evenings with Dorothea, and Dimitri… was usually at home, sure, but Felix was good at ignoring things right in front of his nose. 

Granted, he could’ve noticed the ridiculous amount of instant noodles stacked in one of the kitchen shelves. 

_Still._

When they reached the living room again, Dimitri was crawling across the floor, scrambling to collect the shards of the bowl he just broke. They’d need to go to Ikea and get new ones, Felix made a mental note. Dimitri looked up, an apologetic expression on his face, opening his mouth to say something. Whatever that something was, his attempt was stifled by Felix crossing his arms, aggressively tapping his foot on the carpet as if it had personally insulted him. 

"You guys are absolutely incapable." 

Dimitri stared; Sylvain offered an agreeing nod. 

And of course, as if all the stars and planets had aligned for the noble cause of pissing Felix off, Ingrid opened the door, cheeks red and an all too content look on her face. Surprise showed in her eyes as she noticed the others were all gathered, and she held her hand up to greet them. 

"Ah, hey guys. It’s unusual that we’re all here together,” she said, apparently oblivious to the mood – granted, Felix being pissed, Sylvain looking like he wanted to say something stupid and Dimitri on the floor surrounded by abused kitchenware wasn’t really anything new. 

Unfazed by the familiar scene, she just closed the door behind her and started removing her jacket, a few melting snowflakes clinging to the fuzzy hood. 

"Hey, Ingrid. The food was nice, I assume?" Sylvain asked, only speaking in order to further annoy Felix. 

This actually piqued her interest, emerald eyes sparkling as she spun around to illustrate the marvels of Korean BBQ, voice brimming with excitement. 

"Yes! It always is, you guys should really tag along some time. The meat there is especially nice – you’d really like it, Felix." 

While, yes, the meat interested him, Felix was too busy being pissed to actually react. 

A sharp remark rested on his tongue, something along the lines of _I personally prefer eating something more than just two days per week_ , but he bit it down, feeling like this might hurt her the same way his words had already hurt Dimitri. So, he settled for just shaking his head, brows furrowed. 

With one last heavy exhale laced with thinly veiled… aggression? Resignation? – he stalked off, mumbled "I need to see Ashe and Dedue," and disappeared into the flurry of swirling white outside. 

His friends just stared after him, dumbfounded. Ingrid especially, blissfully unaware of Felix’s earlier anger towards cheap noodles and ugly but innocent fish. Sylvain shrugged and they all helped Dimitri, despite his insistent _It’s fine, you don’t have to_ , with picking up what remained of his bowl. 

The snow was quickly piling up, and for a second Felix was glad Dimitri always urged all of them to wear _weather-appropriate clothing_ , like some mother coddling their toddlers. Only for a second, though. 

Stalking through the freshly fallen snow, his breath forming faint white clouds that lingered for just a moment around him, he wrapped his jacket closer around him and slid the hood over his head, making an even bigger mess of his hair as he continued his trek to Dedue's flat. 

•

Ashe had just finished getting ready for bed, Caspar and Linhardt were already sleeping and Dedue was wrapping up his day as well. 

A surprised _whoa_ escaped him as he passed a window and saw the thick snowflakes fluttering down in the dark night. 

Well, now he kind of _had_ to make hot chocolate, the late hour be damned. Warming up an additional cup for Dedue, adding some spices he knew he liked, Ashe sat down next to the window and waited for his friend to come over. He was more than content with this; just sitting here, sipping his sweet drink while the snow danced outside. That is, until his peaceful reverie was rudely interrupted by someone hammering on the front door. 

With a sigh Ashe got up, still clutching his cocoa, and slowly shuffled towards the door. 

_Who would show up at this hour?_ The door opened with a click as something else clicked in Ashe’s mind. _Ah, he_ _would show up at this hour._

Outside was Felix, snow piled on top of his head, nose bright red and jacket thick and fluffy. A stark contrast to the frown he was wearing. He kind of reminded Ashe of an angry snowman, or a flustered puffy bird. Not that he’d ever say that out loud; he’d like to live another day. But he also _really_ wanted to take a picture of the sight, if only because it would absolutely _delight_ Dimitri. That aside, it was still 11pm. 

"Ah, Felix! Uhm, is there anything I can help you with?" Ashe finally asked. 

Felix opened his mouth, probably to answer, then closed it again and just stared Ashe down. 

"…Are those cat pajamas?" 

Dumbfounded, Ashe stared back. Was this really the issue here? 

"Uh, yeah, she’s called Pusheen, but…" He trailed off as he felt a big hand on his shoulder. Turning his head to look up, he saw the expected face of Dedue, who had found his hot chocolate and was sipping it while still keeping up his signature stern gaze. 

"May I ask what brings you here? It is almost midnight." Despite Dedue’s accusing tone, Ashe could swear he saw relief running over Felix’s features. A little bit of it, at least. 

"I… need your help," Felix finally said, voice straining at the task of asking for assistance. 

With a resigned sigh, Dedue ushered both of them inside again and closed the door, finally cutting off the stream of frigid air and stray snowflakes. Felix asking for help was a big deal, especially because he’d come to Dedue with his request. Their current relationship was rather relaxed, but it had used to be very strained. Despite them being able to put their differences aside and now being able to call each other friends, Felix’s prickly, hot-headed nature was simply prone to sparking conflict. Nevertheless, he had come to _them_ , at 11pm. It was clearly important. 

Ashe just kept sipping his drink as they all sat down in the kitchen. Loog, one of their cats, immediately monopolized Felix’s lap and started purring, Felix’s lips forming a small, soft smile as he immediately relaxed in the presence of the feline. 

"So," Dedue started, setting his mug down. "What is it that you need?" 

Felix looked Dedue in the eyes, the determination in his gaze clashing in Ashe’s mind with the fact that he still looked like a fuzzy bird. 

"It’s about the boar–" 

"Don’t call him that." 

_"His beastliness–"_

_"Felix."_ This time, Dedue’s tone was stern enough for Felix to cut it out. 

Shrugging with the one arm that wasn’t busy petting Loog's tummy, he resumed. 

" _Dimitri’s_ been eating nothing but instant noodles since the start of the semester. Sylvain steals the flavour packets to put them on microwave food. And Ingrid doesn’t want to properly budget, and ends up eating next to nothing for most of the week." 

Dedue set his mug down more forcefully, his eyes awash with concern. 

"Have you tried talking to them?" he asked, but the scoff he got from Felix was enough of a response to fill him in before the actual one. 

"No, didn’t even know until earlier today. I’ve got a ton of evening lectures. When I come back, they're either doing something outside on their own or…" he trailed off, looking to the side. "Well, I just assumed they’d manage to eat on their own. Clearly I was expecting too much of them." 

Silence fell over the room, only interrupted by Loog’s soft purrs. Felix was staring intensely at Loog’s whiskers, wanting to look everywhere but into Ashe’s and Dedue’s faces. Unable to bear the weird, tense silence, Ashe spoke up. "Ingrid too? Sylvain isn’t… really surprising at all, and Dimitri… does make sense too, but…" 

With a sigh, Felix nodded. "Yeah, it’s… Ingrid has always been the one to get on our case and set us straight. She was annoying with that – really, still is – so I would’ve expected her to be the one who’d actually put some effort into cooking, but… yeah, well. Ugh. Pisses me off." 

Seeing Felix like this, frustration born out of worry too honest to be entirely hidden behind searing words, was rare. Ashe felt almost happy to see how much trust he was clearly putting in both him and Dedue to be open like that. Of course, because it was Felix, he still looked annoyed and ready to stab someone. But _still._

Dedue spoke up again, the look on his face signaling to Ashe that he’d been thinking the same. 

"Alright, how can we help? We could come visit and cook for them if you wan–" 

"No", Felix instantly interjected, now looking up again. "No, that’d be stupid. Don’t bend over backwards for these idiots, you’ve got your own stuff going on." He paused. "I want you to teach me how to cook." 

Silence, again. 

Ashe thought he’d misheard Felix or that this was a joke, but judging by the oddly determined expression Felix was now wearing, mixed in with his frown, this wasn’t the case. To his surprise Dedue just nodded in agreement, bringing his finger to his chin and humming in thought. 

"Yes, that might be better. You mentioned once that you cook your own meals, correct?" 

"Yeah, it’s only simple stuff though. Good enough that I get a decent variety, but that’s it," Felix explained. 

This took Ashe by surprise – he couldn’t imagine Felix, impulsive and impatient as he was, standing at a stove waiting for some potatoes to start cooking. Nevertheless, cooking was a topic that generally excited Ashe, so he turned to Felix again, eyes sparkling. 

"Did you have anything specific in mind? We could–" 

This time Dedue softly interrupted him, gaze still fixed on Felix. "We would be happy to help you, but it’s very late already and–" 

Another interruption. 

"He’s been complaining about feeling weaker and more tired lately," Felix snapped, voice tinged with emotion. "Dimitri, I mean. I don’t… want him to eat this crap any longer." 

And with that, Dedue was swayed. He wordlessly stood up and motioned Felix toward the stove, Loog protesting as he lost his designated resting spot. Felix muttered a quiet _thanks_ without looking either of them in the eyes, relief flooding his face. 

Ashe could only sit there in confusion as the other men got to work, Dedue giving Felix a quick rundown on cooking equipment, what kind of methods to use for preparing different kinds of food, spices, additives, textures. Felix nodded along in deep concentration. Loog, in his betrayal, had jumped onto Ashe's lap now, nuzzling his head against his chest. And so Ashe sat back just watching them, occasionally giving some input on things like what he thought had a nice texture, or what kind of noodles were his favourite. 

The room was quickly filled with the sizzling of meat frying in pans, the bubbling of boiling water, the scents of various vegetables and spices enriching the air. Ashe was nodding off at this point, Loog’s purring and the nice, warm smells lulling him into sleep. Felix and Dedue kept cooking, Dedue the ever-patient instructor and Felix the focused student, quickly picking up on new tricks and immediately putting them to use. It was nice to watch, in all honesty. 

Ashe woke up to sunlight flooding the room a few hours later, now tucked into his bed with Loog and their other cat, Kyphon, nestled next to him into the covers. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and sitting up, he could already hear familiar noises from the kitchen. Getting up carefully as to not disturb the still slumbering cats, he made his way toward the kitchen. 

He couldn’t say he was _too_ surprised to see his two friends still at it, Felix sitting at the table with a mountain of neatly boxed food next to him and Dedue standing by the stove frying eggs. 

"Ah, good morning, Ashe," he said, without looking up from the bubbling eggs. "Sit down, they will be done shortly." 

"Uh," Ashe started, mildly taken aback. He made his way to the table and sat down across from Felix. "Good morning. Have you two slept at all?" 

"No," came the curt reply from an indeed very tired-looking Felix. His usually elaborately tied up hair was now just hanging down, cascading over his shoulders like a messy waterfall. Cascading over… the image of Pusheen holding a donut. 

"Felix, are those… my pajamas?" Ashe asked, eyes wide with equal portions of shock and amusement. The man across from him scrunched up his face, looking to the side. 

"Dedue insisted I wear something more comfortable if I was planning to stay the night. So stop staring." 

From behind them came a small chuckle. "I could not see the pattern on these pajamas in the dark, and you kept complaining about your clothes being uncomfortable in the stove's heat." 

" _Fuck off,_ " Felix hissed in response, cheeks stained pink and his brows a uniform, angered line. Maybe he was less of a puffy bird and more of a moody cat, Ashe decided. With Felix adamantly staring down the wall to his left, Ashe managed to finally sneak a picture of him in this state. Dimitri would be grateful, he was sure. 

They ate their breakfast in peace, save for Felix bombarding both of them with various questions about cooking. It was honestly endearing. 

This continued for about a week, Felix coming over after his final lectures to get more lectures on cooking. He picked up on everything surprisingly fast, quickly mastering almost every technique Dedue and Ashe threw at him. Caspar and Linhardt, but Caspar especially, also seemed more than happy with all of the excess practice food that came out of this arrangement, even if they were slowly running out of Tupperware containers and fridge space to store it in. 

That Saturday, exactly a week after they started the lessons, Dedue decided that this was everything he could teach Felix; the rest he’d learn and refine over time as he applied his newfound skills more regularly. So, they settled on accompanying Felix to the grocery store to help him prepare for finally cooking something for his friends this evening. 

Felix was visibly anxious the entire shopping trip, emotion only thinly veiled by the usual scowl, as if in constant fear of making any grave mistakes at this point. 

"If they’re not all at home tonight, I’m gonna kill them," he muttered while shooting daggers with his eyes at the potato he was inspecting at the moment, before deeming it worthy enough to add to his basket. 

"I’m sure you’ll be fine, really, you’re really good at–" Ashe started, trying to reassure the prickly man. 

" _Of course_ I’ll be fine, I just don’t want any of this to go to waste, that’s all," he retorted, staring down some carrots now, a faint pink creeping over his face. Ashe and Dedue just chuckled. 

With some more words of reassurance, they sent him on his way, two bags of groceries in his hands. Ashe didn’t expect the low, murmured _thanks_ they received, but was thrilled all the same. 

"Just tell us how it went!" 

With that, and a curt nod from Felix, they went their separate ways again, soft snowflakes dancing through the waning sunlight. 

•

The quiet that filled the apartment was suddenly replaced by a loud snapping sound, followed by Dimitri trying to salvage the papers he’d been absentmindedly working on. The ink dribbling from the now-broken container quickly seeped through the paper, covering the lazily scribbled words until they all blended into one even mass of black. He sighed and gave up – it wasn’t like he had managed to write a lot anyway, so he hadn’t lost anything of significance. Focus had been evading him these past days, his thoughts swirling elsewhere and tinted a bitter color. Felix had been weirdly upset that evening, and hadn’t really been home since then; always barging into the apartment, dropping the bag with his school materials and then leaving again in a hurry. Some days he came home in the dead of night, and sometimes not at all. And of course, he had not said a word to Dimitri, so he was left to his own devices. Which, in this case, meant manic overthinking. What had he done to upset Felix this much? Of course, he was always rather reserved, but getting over a massive fallout they had a few years ago had made them establish clear rules for communicating within their relationship. Neither of them was very good at talking about their own feelings, both coping in their own different ways. While Felix would force any traitorous feelings away with searing anger and venomous words to hurt everyone around him, Dimitri isolated himself, dark feelings and darker thoughts swallowing him whole until he could only barely tell reality from the images and voices his mind conjured. 

Which was pretty much exactly what was happening at this moment, despite his utmost efforts to keep himself busy and occupied as to not let his mind wander into the abyss. It’d work for a while – but then he’d see a frayed hair tie Felix left here, discarded in the night, or a shirt he forgot to bring back to his own room. And Dimitri would continue to be reminded; all these little belongings that weren’t his own, yelling adamantly at him, reminding him of what was missing. They both mostly slept in Dimitri’s room nowadays, Felix only slipping into his own room when he needed to get dressed or had to grab some book he’d needed for his own studies. 

He had effectively been taking over Dimitri’s room – no, not taking over, but rather adding himself to it, the same way he had slipped back into Dimitri’s life and pushed away these unpleasant ramblings of his mind with his presence alone. And Dimitri was grateful, so terribly grateful for it, that they were together like this now. But right now, Felix felt distant, far away, like he was slipping out of Dimitri’s own hands, the void he left behind filled by all too eager sinister thoughts and phantoms. 

His thoughts started spinning scenarios, possibilities why Felix left their home every evening in a hurry without telling him anything. What if Felix was finally tired of him, what if he had found something or some _one_ better, more worthy of his time? Cold terror made its way into Dimitri’s spiraling mind, pulling him in, deeper, deeper, phantoms whispering of broken promises and things that existed even less than their voices, consuming, devouring his thoughts and– 

_Bang._

The door snapped shut, and Dimitri snapped out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath; two, three; and decided he was calm enough again. 

"Dimitri?" He heard the voice – a real one, laden with that comforting annoyance – and instantly perked up, having forgotten how much he had needed to hear that voice, _his_ voice, calling for him. The door to his room opened and Felix peeked through it, ink blue hair powdered with snowflakes, those golden eyes that always seemed to pull him in and see right through him now staring into his own bright blue. 

"Ah, Felix, yes, what... what is it?" Dimitri’s voice was still trembling and, if the deepening frown on his face was any indication, Felix had noticed. 

"Come," the smaller one just said before turning and vanishing once more. Shaking his head again, Dimitri heaved himself up and followed Felix through the hallway, the living room, and finally into the kitchen. 

The usually unused kitchen counter was now covered in grocery bags and still-packaged pans. 

"What… is all of this, Felix?" The one he’d asked averted his gaze as Dimitri looked at him, voice full with more unasked questions that had accumulated over the past week. 

Felix exhaled heavily before straightening up his back and meeting Dimitri’s questioning look. 

"I’m gonna cook for you guys, starting today. Since you’re clearly incapable of doing so on your own," he stated, rather matter-of-factly. 

Before Dimitri could even react, Sylvain and Ingrid snowed into the room, the redhead holding up his phone and grinning. 

"Ah, so that’s the surprise Ashe was speaking of. Not exactly what I expected, but can’t say I’m complaining here. Dimitri–" Sylvain forced his own phone into Dimitri’s hands, accompanied by a wink – "you should check out the group chat more often." 

There was a picture sent by Ashe open in the chat, surrounded by laughing emojis and just general screaming from Annette, as well as a ‘ _very cute :)'_ from Mercedes. Before Dimitri could properly register who these blue locks spilled over a cat patterned shirt belonged to, the owner of said locks ripped the phone out of his hands again and turned the screen off. 

Felix, now bright red in the face ( _which was a really cute look if Dimitri was being honest_ ) was basically seething, muttering promises under his breath of stabbing Ashe for this. 

Ingrid spoke up. "Are you sure about this? We’re all fine as it is right now, there’s no need to go out of your way like this." 

Felix just shook his head in irritation. "You guys are _not_ fine. _You_ only eat proper meals two days a week, Sylvain eats nothing but microwave crap and Dimitri hasn’t eaten anything aside from instant noodles for _months_. Besides," he averted his gaze again, "I didn’t spend a week enduring Dedue's teaching for nothing." 

Ah. 

And with that, all the puzzle pieces fell back into their rightful places, the deafening, crushing haze over Dimitri’s mind finally lifted as quiet understanding took its place. 

So that’s why. 

That’s why Felix had been absent all week, and even less talkative than usual. Relief flooded his senses and the desperate urge to just _hug_ Felix, to hold him close and whisper sweet nothings and sweeter somethings, would’ve overtaken him had Felix not whirled around and started to rummage through the myriad of bags and packages behind him. 

Sylvain chuckled, Ingrid shook her head with a small laugh and Dimitri was left to just stare at Felix as if he had not seen him for years. Granted, this week had definitely felt like years. 

"Stop staring holes into the air and just fucking sit down. All of you, but you especially, Dimitri," Felix grumbled without stopping his search for whatever ingredients he was looking for. They all obliged, of course, not daring to interrupt whatever the display in front of them was exactly. After some time, Felix seemed to be content with his selection of various vegetables, spices and a seemingly sinful amount of meat. Of course. He started pressing stove buttons no one but him even knew existed, much less their actual functions. 

Ingrid and Sylvain’s quiet chatter was interrupted by the sound of metal meeting wood, Felix chopping carrots at breakneck speed, slender fingers dancing with the blade in his hand yet always in full control. Sylvain gave him a low whistle and leaned over the table to Dimitri. 

"He’s looking pretty good with those knives, huh? They’re rather big in his hands, too…" 

Felix slowed down, and Dimitri felt his face heat up, unsure of the exact reason. Felix _did_ look good – in general, but also with the knives. He’d be lying if he claimed to never have stared at Felix’s hands for unreasonable amounts of time. So, he just nodded along, not letting his eyes move from Felix’s back. 

"He… yes, he’s… nice to watch," Dimitri finally managed to stutter out, still completely enamoured. Sylvain slapped him on the shoulder and practically howled. 

"You’re aware I could also throw these fucking knives over my back, right," Felix pressed out through gritted teeth. Even from across the room and with him facing away, Dimitri could see the bright red ears peeking out from under those midnight blue strands. 

And so the idle noises from earlier resumed: Ingrid sending voice messages to Dorothea, Sylvain trying to sneak in some innuendos involving specific vegetables, and Felix grumbling in dismay whenever he said something particularly awful. The sizzling of meat and onions cooking in a pan paired with the crescendo of water reaching its boiling point quickly joined the other noises, as Felix kept working diligently by himself. Dimitri could swear he had heard him hum at some point. 

Of course, they had asked to help him out, but when Felix reluctantly agreed and told Sylvain to heat up some water, said redhead had just shrugged and put a glass of water in the microwave. They weren’t allowed to help out afterwards, even if Ingrid was being useful and cleaned up the mess the water made when Sylvain had dropped it to the ground, the microwaved glass too hot to hold. Felix kept mumbling about how all of them were incapable, and after that incident no one really disagreed. If you asked Dimitri, though, he’d still have put Ingrid above himself and especially Sylvain in terms of usefulness. 

More and more smells filled the air, of fragrant spices, herbs and vegetables. At this point Felix looked close to finishing, no longer chopping anything but just observing his pans and pots and occasionally dipping in a spoon to taste test and either humming in satisfaction or adding more spices. Ingrid, being actually helpful for the second time, shoved the random papers and belongings that were sprawled over the table to the side and started putting down plates, cutlery, glasses and a hard-plastic cup for Dimitri. 

Without any word of warning, Felix set down a pot with still bubbling, golden brown sauce in the middle of their table, with a large bowl of steamed rice, a plate full of what seemed to be fried chicken pieces and some small containers with various spices quickly following. 

Felix looked way too smug and proud of himself as his friends stared dumbly at the food in front of them. Dimitri felt like kissing him. It smelled nice, really _really_ nice, actually. 

"Well, take some. It’s curry." Impatience brimmed in his voice as he spoke, before he whirled around again to grab some water and soda bottles. Sylvain was the first to heed his word, grinning as he first lifted the rice, and then the still-steaming sauce and chicken bits onto his plate. Ingrid followed his example, barely containing her excitement as she dug around the pot to find the biggest pieces of meat. 

And finally, Dimitri did the same, reluctant to take too much as to not take away anything from his friends, who could actually taste the meal Felix had so carefully prepared for them. Before he could dwell on that thought, though, Felix sat down next to him and dumped another generous ladle of sauce and some more pieces of fried chicken on his previously rather empty, meager plate. 

"I made more than enough for all of us. Just eat," was all Dimitri got in response as he dumbfoundedly watched Felix finally filling his own plate. 

His other friends had already started eating, Ingrid pausing only to fill all of their glasses or to make short delighted noises. Felix seemed pleased with himself as he took the first bite, and Sylvain was loudly proclaiming that he wished Felix had been his mother to cook for him as a child. After basking in the pleasant, vivid atmosphere for a second, Dimitri finally took his own spoon and dug in, tiny bits of colorful spices swirling in the golden sauce, swirling around pieces of garlic and carrots and onions, seeping into the sparkling white rice. 

Usually when Dimitri was presented with some kind of fancy meal, he’d enjoy how it looked, how it smelled, before ultimately facing faint disappointment when he could not taste anything. This time was different. Of course, his taste didn’t magically return, it never would; but the different textures blending and complimenting each other were almost overwhelming him. Crunchy fried chicken, enveloped by almost velvety sauce and soft warm rice, all those pieces of vegetables and firm, chewy chicken that Felix had let simmer in the sauce itself. The pleasant sting of chili peppers tingled in his mouth, and Dimitri was quick to take another spoonful. It was only when he lifted said spoon from his lips again that he noticed Felix staring at him. Dimitri stared back, confused. 

"Well, how is it?" Felix finally asked, his finger tapping on the table. 

Before Dimitri could reply, Sylvain and Ingrid took it upon themselves to praise Felix’s cooking, compliments ranging from "It’s really, _really_ good, I'm honestly surprised," to "damn, you'd make a great housewife." Felix was getting irritated, so before he could snap, Dimitri intervened. 

"They’re right, Felix. It’s… I obviously can’t judge the taste, but the smell and the texture especially are …amazing," he said, sincerity seeping through as he fumbled trying to find the right words, "Truly, thank you." 

Felix’s eyes widened for a second before he turned around, pink blooming up on his cheeks and fighting a fond smile. 

"It’s nothing special, I just couldn’t bear to watch this circus anymore," he replied, with none of the usual bite in his voice. From across the table came an unhelpful _aww_ followed by a slap on the arm and chuckled complaints. 

They all resumed eating, losing themselves in the warm atmosphere, the soft snowfall sparkling through the darkening sky outside. And Dimitri felt like this in itself simple gesture had brought them so much more than just a full stomach – the bickering and joking, smiles and eyes sparkling with gleeful tears, all dancing through the air and singing songs of simpler times he had thought were lost. But nothing had been lost. It was all right here, right now. Dimitri was grateful once more, feeling himself being overtaken by sheer fondness for what his life had become. 

•

Later that night, after they all helped Felix to clean up the kitchen and properly store the vast amounts of food he’d bought – Dimitri breaking another plate in the process – the two of them were back in Dimitri’s room. 

He had been both nervous and relieved when Felix had casually strutted to the room as usual, disregarding both his actual own room and Sylvain’s whooping. That was another thing Dimitri had missed during Felix’s week of near-constant absence; the other’s comforting presence always kept the night’s terrors that still haunted him at bay. 

But none of that mattered, now that Felix was here again. As soon as the door fell shut behind them both, Dimitri pulled Felix into his arms, face sinking into his dark blue hair. After a second of tense hesitance from suddenly being embraced without warning, Felix relaxed and melted into the touch, his back pressing against Dimitri’s chest as he craned his neck backwards to lean it against the taller man’s shoulder. 

"I missed you," Dimitri whispered, blonde hair falling in front of his eyes and thus shielding them from Felix’s surprised gaze. 

"But I didn’t go–" he started, quieting down as Dimitri wrapped his arms around him tighter. 

"I thought you had found… someone else," he finally whispered, even quieter than before. The faint moonlight illuminated the room just enough for Dimitri to see Felix’s eyes widening in shock and then closing in what looked like resigned regret. Felix sighed, wrestling himself out of Dimitri’s arms. The lost warmth quickly returned when Felix slipped into his arms again, this time facing him directly. One of his arms snaked around Dimitri’s waist, the other reached up to cup his face. Without even intending to do so, Dimitri leaned into the touch, a single week having been enough to make him yearn for it dearly. 

"I’d never. Don’t be so… stupid." Felix’s response was even quieter than Dimitri’s initial words, and that alone, coupled with the way Felix was looking at him, fighting the instinct to tear his gaze away and look somewhere else, was all Dimitri needed. He embraced him again, with more certainty this time, fingers carefully removing Felix’s hair tie and then twirling the now-freed silky strands. 

A few kisses with varying degrees of neediness later, they both simply slumped into Dimitri’s bed. Dimitri buried his nose in Felix’s hair again, occasionally pressing soft kisses against the other’s shoulders and neck. They leaned into each other, arms and fingers intertwined. 

Dimitri let out a soft sigh, taking in all the sensations and feelings this day – _Felix –_ had provided him with. 

"You know…" Dimitri started after a brief period of comfortable silence. 

Felix turned his head enough to sleepily meet Dimitri’s fond azure blue gaze. "Hm?" 

With a soft chuckle, Dimitri leaned in even closer before mumbling into Felix’s shoulder. 

"That Pusheen shirt was really cute. We should get one for you." 

Shock painted Felix’s features, before irritation took over and he turned his face away again, huffing as Dimitri’s laugh vibrated through both of their chests. 

"Oh, _shut up_." 

With that, they both drifted into a peaceful sleep, never once breaking their embrace as golden stars danced with midnight blue sky. 

**Author's Note:**

> I also have [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/nyoggets) Feel free to say hi, I even draw occasionally.  
> Hope you enjoyed!


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